Write a Great Business Plan

You need to write a great business plan because a mediocre won't do. Not any more. Not in this turbulent financial time.



Banks are stingy. Venture capitalists are stingier. And angel investors are probably the stingiest of all. Approaching any of these entities without having a great business plan in hand is absurd. It wont fly.



So what makes a business plan great?



Well, beginning at the beginning, the basics need to be covered. These are the items you will find outlined on every business plan site in existence. This stuff include:



Biographical knowledge



Financial knowledge



History of the company



Identifying your market



Credit reports



But if your business plan included all of these things, it still has less than a 10% chance of being funded.



What are you missing? Pizazz.



Pizaaz means over filling out an outline and handing it in. Pizazz means presenting yourself and your company as the absolutely best choices on the market. It means you have the ability to navigate through hard times. It means you have marketing skills beyond the ordinary. It means you can use the tools of the net world to capture more business than other businesses in your field.



Over anything else, you need the ability to take the tools that are obtainable and make them your own, much like a great actor makes a role his own. Everybody sees the same words, but some people have the ability to see beyond the words.



And it means that you can present all of this with style and charm.



Well, they seldom said that writing a great business plan would be simple. It is not.



But all the work is definitely worth it. A powerful business plan opens doors than would otherwise stay slammed shut. Even if a specific bank or venture capitalist or angel investor is unable to fund your project, with a powerful business plan in hand you are far more likely to get the referrals that you need to succeed.



Going through the system is half the battle. Researching, writing, re-writing, honing your message all of these are essential to examining yourself as an entrepreneur, and your vision for your company. A vision statement doesnt cut it. Your vision will be introduced throughout your whole business plan. The style, the outlook, the growth pattern, the people involved all contribute to defining your vision.



And one time you have gone through the system, having the skill to put it all in to a concise, persuasive sales tool called a business plan is the other half of the system. And, yes, it is a sales tool, not a declaratory statement.


For top ideas on how to present your company, look to annual reports from established companies. These are sales tools . Ought to somebody be thinking of buying even share of stock, they can get this whole sales package. It's articles and graphics and images of key people and marketing knowledge, and everything that a powerful business plan has. And it is designed to sell, as your business plan is designed to sell.

The payoff? You can stand proud when you stand in front of your banker or your angel investor, knowing that you have indeed done your home work. And you are the best.